(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital still camera, and more particularly, to a digital still camera which allows previewing the composition of an image before the image is stored.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An electronic camera generally uses an image pickup device such as a color CCD (Charge Coupled Device) instead of a film when acquiring an image of an object. The output of the image pick-up device is converted into electrical signals which are recorded in a memory device. In a video camera, the memory device is a typically magnetic tape, and in a digital still camera, the memory device is typically an IC (Integrated Circuit) or a floppy disk.
The digital still camera has a photographic lens system and often uses Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) which displays either a still image of the object or a moving image in real time. A user can then view the static image or the moving image on the LCD.
When the image of an object is taken by either of the methods described above, a user knows the exact composition of the photographed image only after the corresponding image data, which are recorded in the memory device, are displayed on the LCD or on a computer monitor. If the user finds the composition of the photographed image unacceptable, the user must be able to delete the stored image data. The user can then take another image of the object until he is satisfied with the composition of the image.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital still camera and a method, where the composition of an image can be previewed before the image is recorded in the memory device.
The object of the invention is achieved by a digital still camera which includes at least two release switches. The digital still camera further includes a lens unit for capturing an optical image of the object; an image pickup unit for converting the optical image into corresponding electronic image data; a controller, responsive to the settings of the release switches, outputting either static image data or moving image data; a temporary memory device for temporarily storing the static image data received from the controller; and a display unit for displaying either the static image corresponding to the static image data or the moving image corresponding to the moving image data, as determined by the controller.
The method of the invention includes the steps of determining whether or not a first release switch is activated; if the first release switch is activated, storing the static image data in the temporary memory device, and displaying the static image on the display unit; or if the first release switch is not activated, deleting the static image data stored in the temporary memory device and displaying the moving image data in real time on the display unit.